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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — a committee
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. press — to push
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cap — of ice
  16. snap — to click
  17. net — after costs
  18. cap — a hat
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cap — a lid
  22. board — to get on
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. trunk — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com